Heritage Cases

Agriculture, forestry and tourism have been identified as key economic growth drivers in UMzimkhulu Municipality area. However forestry makes most of the income in the surrounding villages. The following forestry project was identified by local communities, working through their ward councillor and other municipal representatives as the area needed an economic upliftment. The following forestry project will benefit both the communities and the economic activities as the villages will not be limited to primary production of the livestock and crop. The economic activities in the villages are generally limited to primary production of livestock and crops for subsistence, with limited commercialization. Various and reinforcing actors are attributed to such limited economic activities such as their remoteness, the general lack of infrastructure and public services, and traditions that directly and indirectly discourage commercialization. Forest-based enterprise activities are the best ways of doing way away with poverty, inequality and unemployment. Rural Forests stand at the heart of healthy, liveable communities. Aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits, trees within rural forests save energy, improve the area’s air, protect its gasses and absorb particulates, dusts, and pollens. The health of rural watersheds and their waterways depends heavily on the presence of forested corridors lining their banks. Forests within rural area enable citizens to experience a deeper appreciation and understanding of the ways of nature, and they enhance an ethic of stewardship. water, and underpin economic sustainability. Their presence helps bolster property values, stabilize and add beauty to neighbourhoods, and increase income for businesses. Trees also remove numerous poisonous